An epiphany....

Wow...maybe I'll sleep tonight finally...

I had one of those light bulb moments tonight while doing what I have done so much of since December....mourning the loss of so many trees on my property after a wild ice storm.

I have been so sad about this and have been losing so much sleep over it....wondering & worrying how I'll do trying to cut the trees up myself.....how I'll ever get it all done when dozens of snapped trees need to come down....will my property ever look the same again and what should I do to make it look nice again....will I ever forget the loss of some of my favorite beautiful trees....the sadness of coming home every day as they hang dying waiting for me to put them out of their misery.

On the good side I have all the firewood I could need for a long time & the hard work will be rewarding & good for me in the long run. But I'll be burning my favorites & they'll be gone forever...that just makes me sad. I know its silly...but its how I feel. So as I sat here tonight thinking about my back grove area that right now is just a criss cross of fallen or falling trees..it hit me. I don't have to burn all the wood...I can try to find a way to recycle and keep some of it to use somehow in my gardens and the woodland paths & gardens I want to do in the back area.

So I sat here thinking & thinking and here's what I came up with....if you have any other ideas I'd love to hear them...

1) I can make steps going down the back slope from the largest trees if I cut them into large thick slices.

2) I can use med large slices for either footpaths or I can cut them into half rounds & use them as path or garden borders

3) Large 4-5 foot long logs can be cut in half lengthwise & turned in to rustic woodland benches

4) Single 2 ft high logs can also be used as a seat when set on end

5) or they can be used as a pedastal on their own or in groups of 3 in varying heights to do a display of potted plants

6) A hollowed out stump or section of log can be used as a planter

7) A section of log stood on endcan also be used as a base for a birdbath

8) And lastly....all the small branches that have to go through a woodchipper can be turned into mulch used to create a natural base for woodland paths.

So I don't have to say goodbye forever ...I still can enjoy the trees....just in a different form. And now I have the opportunity to add some interesting new trees to fill in the landscape too.

So I'm off to bed to get what may be the best night sleep I've had in a long time. Have a great weekend everyone.